Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 128 by Maxwel l Grant

Author:Maxwel,l Grant
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf

CHAPTER XI

DEATH FROM ABOVE

SPLOTCHY light from a street lamp showed Lane's cab when it pulled up in front of Seard's. The taxi was visible from the front windows of the study, where Seard and Cardona were on watch. The cab had an open top, slid back because of the mild weather. The viewers could see the passenger leaning forward to pay the driver.

Seard and Cardona had decided to let Havlett admit Lane. The less fuss they made, the more likely he would be to furnish evidence.

Keeping close watch on Lane, neither observer saw the cab that stopped some distance down the street. From it stepped a cloaked figure that merged instantly with the blackness of the house walls. Before Lane had finished

paying the driver, The Shadow had arrived close by.

The cloaked investigator was at the front door of the house next to Seard's. It was The Shadow's plan to reach the balcony on the third floor. A shift across would enable him to listen through the window of Seard's study.

The Shadow, therefore, was concentrating on the door itself, instead of watching Lane's cab. As he turned the knob, The Shadow felt the door yield to his push. It was unlocked. That told The Shadow of a possible danger: Creep Hoyran.

The murderer had arrived again to-night. He had already entered this empty

house to gain position for a new thrust against Seard.

Meanwhile, Lane was stepping from his cab. As he pushed the door open, he picked up a heavy cane and thrust it out ahead of him. Lane had a limp as a result of the automobile accident. Seen from above, the visitor could be identified only as a man wearing hat and overcoat and carrying a cane.

That last item gave The Shadow full warning of an instant menace. With a turn, he started to spring from the steps of the house next door. He caught himself before it was too late. Still clutching the door edge, The Shadow hauled himself back to safety.

From above, he heard a triumphant shriek, an insane cackle that announced Creep Hoyran. The shout was delivered from the front edge of Seard's roof.

Lane heard the cry; he looked up. It was his last moment of life. He saw a

round, black object dropping almost for his head. He gave a frightened gasp.

That was all.

From the roof edge, Creep saw the terrified face. Arms extended, Creep uttered an angry snarl and jumped back. In that last flash, Creep had seen his mistake. The heavy cane had caused him to think that Lane was Seard. Creep had pitched his bomb too soon.

SEARD and Cardona were the real witnesses to the tragedy. Their window was

closed; they could not hear Creep's cry. They saw Lane's startled look; with it

they glimpsed the final fall of Creep's bomb. The missile landed squarely through the open roof of the cab.

The effect was as elusive as the bursting of a soap bubble, that seems to vanish before it strikes. The bomb exploded with devastating effect, changing the scene to blackness in a twinkling.

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